1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device which is attached to a portable exposure apparatus for recording radiation image information on a storage type phosphor sheet and used to accommodate therein the storage type phosphor sheet which has already been subjected to exposure.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a certain phosphor is exposed to a radiation such as X-rays, .alpha.-rays, .beta.-rays, .gamma.-rays, ultraviolet rays, or cathode rays, the phosphor stores a part of the energy of the radiation. It is well known that when the phosphor exposed to the radiation is subsequently exposed to stimulating rays such as visible light, the phosphor emits accelerated light in proportion to the stored energy of the radiation. The phosphor exhibiting such a property is referred to as a "storage type phosphor".
There has been proposed by the present applicant a radiation image information recording and reproducing system for temporarily storing information about the radiation-transmitted image of an object such as a human body in a sheet having a layer of storage type phosphor by making use of such a storage type phosphor as referred to above, scanning the storage type phosphor sheet with stimulating rays such as a laser beam so that the storage type phosphor sheet emits accelerated light, and photoelectrically detecting the emitted light to produce an image information signal that is electrically processed for reproducing the radiation-transmitted image of the object as a visible image on a recording medium such as a photographic photosensitive material or on a display such as a CRT, etc. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,258,264, 4,276,473, 4,315,318 and 4,387,428 for example).
In the radiation image information recording and reproducing system, it is sometimes necessary to make an exposure apparatus for photoelectrically recording image information on a storage type phosphor sheet, small in size and easy to carry so as to allow for the exposure apparatus to a sickroom or the like.
However, the conventional exposure apparatus has the drawback that since only the radiation source is moved to the sickroom or the like, a plurality of cassettes with storage type phosphor sheets being accommodated therein are necessary to carry upon exposure separately from the exposure apparatus, thereby causing inconvenience.